Red Bull is in the (media) house

You’ve probably heard of Red Bull. But have you heard of Red Bull Media House? Thanks to an audacious programming coup last October, you probably have. (And if you haven’t, you certainly will…)

By:
Trish Medalen

Published: 09-01-2014

October marks a year since a man named Felix Baumgartner and a mission called Red Bull Stratos flew out of the sky and into history. And while that day’s events forever changed the aerospace recordbooks – let’s face it, the marketing zeitgeist has been impacted, too. More than an event, it was a phenomenon that drew audiences in as irresistibly as gravity pulled Baumgartner back to earth. Our industry has honored the broadcast with awards, analyzed it with articles, even studied it in classrooms…

It seems the success of the Red Bull energy drink (and its untraditional approach to marketing) has been a source of fascination for years. But there’s something different afoot here. While Red Bull was Baumgartner’s partner in developing the mission to the edge to space, the producer who shared the event with the world – the most-watched livestream in history – was Red Bull Media House. Even before the jump from the stratosphere, those who have been paying close attention over the past several years were tagging Red Bull Media House as one to watch, an impressively growing multi-platform media company that not only offers a range of premium products across channels as diverse as TV, mobile, digital, audio and print – not to mention a thriving content licensing business – but that is also attracting some of the most forward-thinking media partners in the business. Clearly this is way more than some “convenient in-house marketing shop to sell more cans of energy drink”. So what is it, exactly?Global media companyRed Bull Media House is a global media company that’s a profit center unto itself – operating its own channels and products – and is all about content.

What kind of content? Red Bull Media House is an umbrella brand that encompasses feature films, television, web series, games and apps, periodicals, music and more. Some examples: The company is on target to produce more than 1,000 hours of moving image programming this year, with distribution across multiple platforms. Its feature films are making inroads as official selections at some of the world’s leading film festivals, like Tribeca and San Sebastián. With a global circulation of more than 3.1 million copies per month, The Red Bulletin is one of the biggest magazines in the world and, like all Red Bull Media House print publications, it’s also available in digital format. Unique music services include Red Bull Publishing, Red Bull Records, and the Red Bull Radio Services. Terra Mater Factual Studios produces both TV and theatrical releases focused on wildlife, nature, science and history. To just name a few of its initiatives...